After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Hearing this, Chen's mother felt her anxiety lessen somewhat and nodded, "I was just being too hasty."

She stood up, dusted herself off, and said, "Old man, I'm going to buy some pork belly. The kids were clamoring for dumplings yesterday, so I'll make them a meal when I get back."

Mr. Chen nodded: "Go ahead. Buy two more big bones."

"Big bones?" Chen's mother asked, puzzled. "In the middle of summer, isn't it too hot to make bone broth? How can anyone drink it?"

Mr. Chen glanced at her and lowered his voice: "Haven't you noticed that Dashan and Xiaohe have both gotten thinner lately? They've been busy since spring planting, without a single day off. Making furniture, setting up stalls, picking mushrooms on the mountain—they haven't had a moment's rest. They need some nourishment."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother felt a pang of sadness. She hadn't really noticed that her two sons had lost weight these days.

"Okay, I'll go buy it now." She said, and walked towards the meat stall.

When she arrived at the butcher's stall, she picked out two pounds of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and also two thick, large bones. Just as she was about to pay, she saw a pastry stall next to her, selling peach blossom-shaped pastries that were pink and delicate, and looked very appealing.

"Boss, how much is this peach blossom cake?"

"Fifteen coins for one and a half catties."

After thinking for a moment, Chen's mother took out fifteen coins and bought one and a half jin (approximately 0.75 kg). There were four children; buying too little wouldn't be enough to share, and they might fight when they got home. One and a half jin was enough for each of them to have a taste.

---

When Mr. and Mrs. Chen packed up their stall and went home, the sun was already setting.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard the laughter of four children coming from inside the house. Shi Tou was leading his younger siblings in playing hide-and-seek, while A Fu hid behind the door, only half of his bottom showing. He thought he was hiding very well and was laughing heartily.

Seeing this scene, Chen's mother's disappointment at not being able to sell the embroidery immediately dissipated.

She put her things down and called Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing over: "Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, I bought pork belly and pork bones. We'll make dumplings and bone broth tonight."

Su Xiaoyin took the meat and said with a smile, "Mom, the kids have been talking about wanting dumplings since yesterday."

Su Xiaoqing also came over: "I'll chop the filling, you knead the dough, sis."

Just as the family was getting busy, they suddenly heard the sound of a gong outside.

"Clang, clang—clang, clang—"

It was the sound of the gong used by the village head to summon everyone, and it was struck more urgently than usual, with an unusual seriousness in its tone.

Mr. Chen put down what he was holding and frowned: "What happened?"

Chen's mother was also somewhat uneasy: "Judging from the sound of that gong, it's probably not a small matter."

Mr. Chen stood up: "I'll go take a look."

Chen Dashan also came out of the carpentry workshop: "Dad, I'll go with you."

After thinking for a moment, Chen's mother said, "I'll go too. Old man, wait for me. Judging from this noise, something big is probably happening."

Sure enough, after the gong stopped, the village head's voice came from afar: "All men and women of the village, gather under the big locust tree at the village entrance! Every household must send someone!"

Chen's mother quickly went inside and called Su Xiaoyin, Su Xiaoqing, and Chen Xiaohe, taking all four children with her—she couldn't leave the children at home unattended at a time like this. The family locked the courtyard gate and headed towards the village entrance.

---

The area under the big locust tree at the village entrance was already packed with people.

The village head stood on a large rock, his face ashen. Several village elders stood beside him, all with stern expressions. Further down, kneeling were a few people—a wild boy from the village, and two other married men, all known for their carefree and irresponsible ways.

There was a lot of discussion in the crowd, with people wondering what had happened.

"Quiet down!" the village head shouted, and the crowd fell silent.

He scanned the room, his gaze lingering on each person's face for a moment, before speaking: "I've called you all here today because there's something shameful that needs to be explained in front of the entire village!"

He pointed to the men kneeling on the ground: "These are the good sons of our village! They were secretly taking grain and eggs from their homes and sending them out! Who were they sending them to? The three girls who were assigned to our village a few days ago!"

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

The village head continued, "I've already had those three girls sent back to the county town. Do you know who they are? They came from brothels! Our village kindly took them in, gave them wasteland and food, and tried to help them start anew! But what did they do? They seduced the men in our village! These good-for-nothings sneak into people's houses in the middle of the night; you know perfectly well what they're up to!"

The kneeling men kept their heads down, not daring to utter a sound.

The village head's voice grew louder and louder: "You're all married! You have families to support! Some of you are even expecting children! How can you do this to your wives? How can you face your unborn children?"

Among the crowd, several women were already wiping away tears. One young woman, heavily pregnant, was deathly pale and swaying precariously; those around her quickly supported her.

The village head took a breath, his voice turning serious: "Ever since we settled in this land, our village has had two rules: no gambling, and no going to brothels or other disreputable places! Why? Because these things can corrupt the morals of our village! If the morals are corrupted, which village will want to form a marriage alliance with us? Which family will dare to marry their daughter into our village?"

He pointed at the kneeling men: "You lot are like rotten apples, spoiling the whole bunch! According to the rules, you should be kicked out of the village!"

Upon hearing this, the families panicked. Several elderly people knelt down abruptly, weeping and begging for mercy:

"Village head, please forgive them this time! They were just confused for a moment!"

"Village head, for the sake of us being from the same village, please don't drive them away!"

"Village head, my grandson is about to be born; he can't be without a father!"

The village head remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "For the sake of your family, I can spare their lives. But—"

His tone shifted abruptly, his voice becoming stern: "The death penalty may be spared, but punishment is inevitable! This is the first and last time! If I find out again, no amount of pleading will help!"

He waved to several burly men beside him: "Go! Thirty lashes each! Let the whole village see what happens!"

Several burly men stepped forward, each holding a whip. These were no ordinary whips; beside them lay a basin filled with bright red water—chili water.

The young boy was trembling with fear and tried to beg for mercy, but a strong man grabbed him and held him down.

"Snapped!"

The first lash struck, and the wild boy let out a scream. The whip not only hurt his skin and flesh, but the chili water seeped into the wounds, causing a burning, excruciating pain.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The whip lashed down again and again, and screams of agony echoed through the village. Among the onlookers, some turned their heads away in awe, some turned pale, and some clenched their fists tightly.

After thirty lashes, the wild boy lay on the ground, unable to get up, covered in blood, still groaning. The other two were in no better shape, their skin torn and bleeding, trembling with pain.

The village headman scanned the entire area and said, word by word, "Remember this! This is the consequence! Anyone who dares to do such a morally corrupting thing again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The crowd was completely silent.

The village head waved his hand: "Everyone, disperse!"